Tertiary hospitals in Western Australia (WA) provide leading clinical research for medical graduates across all major disciplines.
Clinical and unit-based teaching programs are designed and delivered by each department to provide comprehensive, relevant and hands-on training.
Tertiary hospitals can also offer collaborative research opportunities across various research institutions. Detailed information is provided on individual hospital websites.
These opportunities are open to both international medical graduates and other medical practitioners.
Hospital-based education
The Department of Postgraduate Medical Education in each tertiary hospital provides an extensive teaching program for graduates to improve and expand their clinical knowledge, skills and comprehension.
Teaching programs include:
- grand rounds
- case study clinical meetings
- support and mentoring programs
- modular courses.
Each WA Country Health Service (WACHS) region employs a Director of Clinical Training (DCT) to coordinate the regional education and training program for medical employees and visiting medical practitioners.
It may also be possible to access education sessions held at metropolitan tertiary hospitals via video-link.
Information on education sessions is generally posted on hospital bulletin boards, via intranet sites of each health service, from the hospital DCT or the medical education officer.
Hospital orientation
WA Health has a program of mandatory training modules that all hospital medical staff must complete to assist in their orientation when they commence employment.
Many modules are available online on the Department of Health intranet, which is accessible from hospital computers.
Supervision
International medical graduates (IMGs) employed by WA Health are assigned a supervisor employed by the hospital who will:
- help them set goals
- supervise their work
- conduct mid-term (formative) and end-of-term (summative) assessment interviews.
Australian Curriculum Framework
The Australian Curriculum Framework (ACF) (external site) outlines the learning outcomes junior medical officers (JMOs) should achieve through their clinical rotations, education programs and individual learning in their prevocational training years.
IMGs may find this a useful resource to understand the level of clinical competence expected of junior doctors in Australia.